Container handling apparatus



N. S.- SELLS CONTAINER HANDLING APPARATUS ,Filed June l5, 1936 Apri125, 1939.

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- v l AT'ToRN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER HANDLING APPARATUS Neal S. Sells, Hoopeston,

Machinery Corporation, poration of Delaware Ill., assignor to Food San Jose, Calif., a cor- Application June 15, 1936, Serial No. 85,223 2 Claims. (Cl. 226-129) The present invention relates to container handling apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which is adapted for use with containers of irregular shape, such as tapered containers and the like.

Containers of irregular shipped in nested relation. Certain difficulties are presented in handling such containers during lling and closing because they must be maintained in upright position with their larger ends uppermost. This condition is aggravated because the center of gravity of the iilled conremain in upright position during handling thereof.

and spilling.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide an apparatus for and a method of hanpered containers and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adapter which enables the use of standard lling and closing machines with containers of generally tapered shape, such as conical containers.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a filling machine which embodies my invention. The view is taken in a plane indicated by the line I-I in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with certain parts omitted and others illustrated schematically.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through an adapter constructed in accordance with my invention with a container shown therein in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the adapter shown in Fig. 3.

The invention is illustrated in connection with the type of lling machine disclosed in the patent to Holmquist, No. 1,570,015, dated January 19, 1926, as an example of the type of machine with which my invention can be employed. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be used with other types of lling machines and with various types of container closing machines and the like. i r

The machine includes, generally, a supply hopper and a plurality of measuring pockets assoable container discharge means. The machine includes base I Il which is supported by suitable standards and which has central cylindrical p0rtion II providing a supporting journal for central vertical drive shaft I2. Shaft I2 provides a mounting for container carrying table I3 and Hopper I6 comprises part of an assembly mounted for rotation With shaft I2, including a plurality of measuring pockets I8 mounted on table I3, and a plurality of valves I9 secured to pockets I8 and to hopper I6. Each pocket I8 has a piston 2| closing the bottom thereof and operated through a connecting rod 22 from cam track 23 formed on base I0. As seen in Fig. 2, bottom plate I5 of the hopper is cut away at 26 to provide an opening through which measuring pockets I8 can be lled during their movement past such cut-away portion. Valve I9 for each measuring pocket I8 has valve plunger 21 to contro-1 the open or closed condition of the valve as determined by the engagement of a roller 28 on plunger 2'I with cam track 29 mounted on frame I0 and having two portions 29A and 29B around the part of its periphery corresponding to the upward or discharge stroke of piston 2|. Valve plunger 21 controls communication from the associated measuring pocket I8 to a container in po'- sition to be lled (as illustrated at the right 0i' Fig. 1) by lifting to open passage 3|, and in its loAy lower position controls communication with hopper I6 through passage 3| and passage 32 as illustrated at the left of Fig. 1 when no can is in position to be filled. The conditioning of valve plunger 21 is determined by which of tracks 29A, 29B roller 28 engages, track 29B being a continuation of track 29 and track vated above track 29. To rotate hopper I6, ing pockets I8 and valves I9, shaft I2 has large gear 36 secured thereon meshing with pinion 31 on transverse shaft 38 having pulley 39 for connection by suitable belt to a source of power.

The container feeding and discharge means are illustrated more or less schematically and include feed disc 4|, (Figs. 1 and 2) and discharge disc 42 which are driven in synchronized relation from the main drive means. Disc 4I delivers containers to pockets formed on table I3 by spaced apart vertical wings 43 (Fig. 1).

To enable the handling of conical and the like shape containers which taper from a small closed end to a larger open end, an adapter is provided having means to receive and support such container while it is being handled so that the adapter cooperates with the parts of the apparatus in the usual fashion of a cylindrical can or the like. Preferably, the adapter is constructed with a cylindrical exterior shape for cooperation with the handling apparatus and a tapered interior shape for cooperation with the tapered container. In the illustrated embodiment, adapter (Figs. 3 and 4) comprises a casting of cylindrical shape and having bottom wall 52 recessed at 53 to receive the vbottom end of conical container V51 and boss 54 formed integrally with side Wall 55 around the open end of the adapter. The inner surface of boss 54 is of tapering or frusto conical contour to receive and support container 51 adjacent its upper end. Boss 54 and walls 52 and 55 are joined by a plurality of vertical reinforcing flanges 56. As seen in Fig. 3, container 51 when placed in adapter 5I has its lower end securely held in recess53 and is engaged adjacent its upper endV by the inner wall of boss 54.

The operation of the apparatus includes the placing of containers 51 in their respective adapters 5I which are then placed on feed disc 4I in any convenient manner. From disc 4I the container holding adapters are transferred by suitable means to table I3 in concentric relation with respect to an associated valve I9 associated with a pocket I8 which is being filled in passing the cut-away portion 26 of bottom plate I5. If

an adapter is fed in registration with valve I9, guide track switch member 46 (Fig. 2) is swung inwardly to guide roll 28 into upper track 29A so that valve plunger 21 is moved upwardly to open position, connecting rod 22 and its associated roller move upwardly over cam track 23. piston 2| is forced up to discharge the contents of pocket I8 into the aligned container 51. Subsequently, the filled container and the adapter are discharged onto discharge disc 42 from which they are removed by suitable means. If for some reason, a container holding adapter is not fed onto table I3, member 46 remains in displaced position and roller 28 follows lower track 29B so that as piston 2l moves upwardly, valve plunger 21 is positioned to direct the contents of the pockets I8 back into hopper I6.

From the above description, it is seen that the adapter of my invention enables the use of tapered containers in handling apparatus designed for use with cylindrical cans or containers without any danger of the container being tipped over because oi its irregular shape or being damaged because of its more or less fragile construction.

While I have disclosed my invention as embodied in a. preferred form, it is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in other forms than that described and that I consider myself entitled to such variations and modifications thereof as are included in the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. An adapter for enabling handling of tapered containers in a machine constructed for use with cylindrical containers, comprising a cylindrical casing, and vertically spaced container engaging means for cooperative engagement with the side wall of a tapered container above and below the mid-point thereof to support and hold a container for movement as a unit with the casing.

V2. An adapter for enabling handling of tapered containers in a use with cylindrical containers;V comprising a cylindrical casing open at one end, a pocket formed in the closed end of said casing to receive the small end of a container and to engage the side wall thereof adjacent said small end, and a tapered holding surface adjacent the open end of said casing for engaging the side Wall of the container above the mid-point thereof and adjacent the large end thereof.

NEAL s'. SELLS.

machine constructed lfor 

